Hello, Jeannemarie, and welcome to Goy! I am not entirely sure what "Zone 5" indicates, being a simple Limey, but if it means very cold winters, then I don't think you should worry about your Turkey fig. We live up in the mountains and out winters can be, and more often than not are, long and bitter, with deep snow. We have a twenty (we think) year old Brown Turkey in a very exposed bit of our garden, and it survives very happily and fruitfully with no protection at all. I think, though, that it will depend on how well established your tree is. Is it planted in the ground or is it in a tub? If in the ground, I expect that the roots, which are the particularly vulnerable bits, will be pretty well protected. If in a tub, they will probably need some sort of protection, and you may like to think of wrapping the tub in some sort of insulation, like sacking, for the duration of the cold spell. Best of luck. Let us know how you get on!

Gattina, Zone 5 means the area she lives in could go down to -29C. Unlike our little island, the vast size of the USA has huge differences in temperature between Alaska and South Florida so the United States Department of Agriculture defined areas into zones. They are from USDA Zone 1 (-54C) in the Antartic, to USDA Zone 12 (+10C) in the tropics.

The UK is generally Zone 8 or even 9 in the South West of England and 7 in the Highlands of Scotland. Northern Italy is about the same as The UK, but I think the area where you live could be about 7.

We moan about our weather but interestingly, although we're on the same latitude as Moscow and Newfoundland, the hary zone here is about the same as North Florida as we're blessed by the Gulf Stream warming our Island.

If you Google USDA Hary Zones, you can look it up for anywhere.

Gosh, Myron, that is fascinating. Zone 1 doesn't sound very hospitable. Sorry, then, Jeannemarie, please disregard everything that I wrote. Our temperatures here in the Appennines really don't ever get much below -20°c for any appreciable time. We don't get the lovely Gulf stream to warm our winters, but we do get Britain's left-over weather a few days later if the winds are in the right direction!
I am sure there is someone much better informed than I am out there on GoY to help you.

Having lived on the prairie for a time in my mis-spent youth I would advise against any optimism. If like me you are a lunatic who just loves a challenge then you should plant it against a south facing wall, preferably a house wall that is heated on the other side. If you can enclose it with a removable frame (either glass or plastic but translucent) during the harsher weather then you would have a better chance. And make sure you get a Brown Turkey variety. They are certainly the hardiest.

I do know that the city of Flagstaff in northern Arizona is Zone 5, and they wouldn't even think of growing any kind of fig outside of a heated--though cool--greenhouse. If you have access to that kind of greenhouse, you could grow one in a large tub, and move it in in the winter!

Well isn't that interesting? Arizona, which is on an approximate latitude with Southern Spain is only Zone 5? I wouldn't have thought it got that cold in Arizona? Makes you think how lucky we are over here, we moan about the cold, but we don't realy get cold winters compared to other places that we assume are warmer than here:o)

Down to Zone 4 in the northern or eastern mountains, Myron, and up to Zone 10 in the low deserts of the southwest portion of the State. Elevation makes all the difference!